In these times of heightened uncertainty, the likelihood of collapse; states corporations, etc. is becoming increasingly probable. All one has to do is look at situations in South America and the Middle East, to say nothing about other regions. Countries that were once deemed democratic are now moving towards dictatorship. Thoroughly democratic governments are continuously demonized when they try to become relatively independent. Characteristically, the deep state encourages military coup when a particular state’s political objectives and economic policies start to diverge from its own desires. The real reason behind empire’s overt offensive is to protect and sustain the prevailing neoliberal globalization!
In South America political situations are shifting dramatically. A decade ago almost all countries were pushing socio-economic policies that were primarily pro people. The current situation is more mixed. There are a number of countries that have endorsed neoliberalism in full, while others have opted to temper it. In general and in both cases, results are not all to the likings of the sheeple (human mass). See the articles next column on page 44 & 46. The states of Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and now Bolivia (after the coup) are moving further to the right, while Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are still resisting empire’s neoliberal imposition. Mexico and Argentina are trying to revert back to a more balanced trajectory, in regards to their general socio-economic policies. In South America things are always in dramatic flux, worse than our continent!
In the Middle East, Lebanon and Iraq are also burning, so to speak. Again, the issues of inequality and mal-governance remain at the heart of the problematic underlying the chaos in the Middle East. Certainly, there are differences between the two regions. For a start, the longstanding fascistic political tendencies that prevail, mostly within the political classes of South America is a peculiar issue within the global south. In South America, the ruling classes are mostly composed of descendants of European settlers. This thorny issue of antagonistic racial divide is always at the background in that vast region. In other words, racial and ethnic diversity has become one of the major tools for frustrating the project of harmonious coherence. We believe there are lessons here for Africa and other parts of the world system.
The shallow and divisive (ethnic, etc.) policies of our (African) copycats elites, mostly implemented to satisfy the greedy needs of corrupt politicos and oligarchs (local/foreign) will only give rise to insurrections and revolutions! Unlike South America, economic polarization in Sub Sahara Africa is only skin-deep, without significant racial or ethnic connotations. It doesn’t go back centuries, save South Africa and few others. Even then, outside settlers have not been as entrenched in Africa as they are in South America. Therefore, Africa’s indigenous empty suits, at the service of outsiders, are recent creations and can be dealt with once genuine pro people movements take over state power across the continent! In the mean time, countries in Africa, particularly those who are very diverse in terms of their ethnic compositions, should be very, very, careful about their socio-political strategies. Unless African countries make concerted efforts to collectively forge a unified front, they will end up being even more marginalized. Granted, coming up with new socio-economic arrangement that is more egalitarian, resilient, democratic, etc. might not be easy, given the dearth of critical thinking on our continent. Nonetheless, blindly pursuing the dead end logic of unsustainable economic and social policies, as prescribed by global dominant interests (IMF, WB, WTO, etc.) will only result in chaos and fragmentation. The youth comprise the majority of the population in Africa and its expectation is sky high, while the actual reality on the ground is rather gloomy!
An Argentine economist and advisor to many governments, has developed the theory called ‘The revolution of expectations’. It goes like this: “The degree of knowledge and information that exists today makes people aware of possibilities for better living that are unfulfilled. Governments by and large remain deaf to people’s demands. The poor today are rich in information and millionaires in expectations,” David Konzevik. Good Day!